A. Field of the Invention
The Invention relates to the generation of hydrogen through electrolysis. The Invention relates particularly to the on-demand generation of hydrogen for the purpose of improving combustion of fossil fuels such as gasoline or diesel fuel in an internal combustion engine. The invention may be utilized either as a mobile source of hydrogen on a moving motor vehicle or for a stationary engine or for any application where a stoichiometric mixture of hydrogen and oxygen (‘HHO’) is needed, such as for a torch. The invention also relates to the conduct of any electrolytic reaction and is a method of generating hydrogen gas using the HHO generator of the Invention.
B. Description of the Related Art
The fundamental concept of an internal combustion engine is to compress air mixed with a combustible fuel; that is, a substance that reacts with oxygen and gives off heat. The increase in temperature caused by the combustion increases the pressure on a mechanical piston that generates mechanical work usually in the form of rotational motion.
A fundamental limitation of internal combustion engines is the combustion rate of the fuel. In most piston engines the combustion process begins when the rotational location of the crankshaft is 10 to 30 degrees before top dead center (TDC) and is not fully completed until after the completion of the power stroke. By increasing the combustion rate more power can be extracted from the fuel.
Hydrogen has one of the fastest combustion rates of any gas. Although pure hydrogen-fueled engines are possible and have been demonstrated, the wide adoption of hydrogen as a fuel requires major infrastructure improvements and poses a plethora of problems in generation, transportation and storage of the hydrogen gas.
Alternatively, the addition of a small percentage of hydrogen gas to the combustion chamber of a conventional gasoline or diesel internal combustion engine can have significant impact on not only the fuel consumption of the internal combustion engine but on unwanted emissions as well. This is analogous to adding kindling to start a wood fire—the kindling starts the fire much faster, but most of the energy is extracted from the logs. Internal combustion engines have the additional restriction that the fuel must burn in a very short time to produce mechanical energy, making the use of hydrogen as an accelerating fire starter even more beneficial.
Since hydrogen can be easily extracted from water using electrolysis, electricity generated from the engine itself can be used to produce hydrogen on demand, eliminating all the production, transportation and storage problems. For this approach to be beneficial in terms of fuel consumption the added output power of the engine must exceed the power used to generate the hydrogen.
Despite these benefits being well known for some time, no such on-demand hydrogen generation system has enjoyed significant commercial success. This lack of success is mostly attributable to the problems routinely encountered in the construction of such a system. The problems include but are not limited to lack of generation capacity, thermal stability, compactness, efficiency, chemical stablility, robustness (vibrations, shock, rain, wind, freezing, heat, etc.), flow control, electric source generator loading and vehicle or structure mounting.
One problem faced by prior art efforts to generate hydrogen for use in an internal combustion engine through electrolysis is the overheating of the electrolyte. Very high DC current flows are required for adequate hydrogen production. In a typical motor vehicle application, the DC power supply will provide a current of approximately 100 amps from a power supply of about 12 to 15 volts. As the temperature of the electrolyte increases, the DC resistance of the electrolyte drops. The drop in DC resistance causes even higher current flows, which can cause further heating of the electrolyte. The result is a spiraling temperature increase of the electrolyte until the electrolyte reaches boiling and produces steam, which mixes with the HHO gas. Boiling of the electrolyte results in failure of the hydrogen generator.
Leakage of hydrogen gas can be a problem for prior art electrolysis units. Hydrogen has a very low viscosity and can pass through conventional gaskets and sealants.
Leakage of electrical power can be a problem with prior art electrolysis units. Electrical power can leak between the electrodes and the case containing the electrolysis unit, resulting in a loss of power and efficiency of the unit.
The effective stripping of bubbles of oxygen and hydrogen from the electrodes can be a problem with prior art electrolysis units.
Controlling the amount of hydrogen and oxygen produced by the HHO generator can be a problem with prior art electrolysis units.
The inductive kick generated whenever the HHO generator is powered off can be a problem for prior art electrolysis units due to the very high current flows under which the units operate. The inductive kick is the tendency of the voltage to spike and to electrically arc after a circuit is abruptly opened due to induction from the wires connecting the electrical components together.
Mounting and construction of the electrodes within the HHO generator can be a problem with prior art electrolysis units, resulting in lost efficiency and low durability.
Chemical instability also can be a problem with prior art HHO generators. Chemical instability refers to problems that arise when the components of the generator are not chemically inert during operation. For example, aluminum parts inside the HHO generator will passivate the plates of the generator cores and significantly reduce the production of hydrogen by plating the cores with aluminum.
The hydrogen generator of the invention solves the problems presented by the prior art.